Weekend Repairs Resume on Ventura Freeway

Lane and ramp closings will resume this weekend on the Ventura Freeway, but this time with just one westbound lane left open for Saturday and Sunday morning traffic, state Department of Transportation officials announced Wednesday.

Between White Oak and Canoga avenues, three of the four westbound lanes will be closed from 11:30 p.m. Friday to 11 a.m. Saturday and again from 11:30 p.m. Saturday to 11 a.m. Sunday.

Only the number four lane--the lane to the far right--will be open to traffic, said Richard Kermode, Caltrans senior resident engineer for the $18.3-million freeway widening project.

On two previous weekends when Caltrans closed lanes, one lane and the median were left open.

For those closings, Caltrans officials had predicted a backup of up to 10 miles on the westbound Ventura Freeway unless motorists used other routes. But traffic volume dropped dramatically, apparently in response to news reports of the lane closings.

Kermode said that this weekend, “more congestion is possible because there is only one lane to accommodate all traffic.”

In addition to the lane closings, the westbound on-ramps at White Oak, Reseda Boulevard and Tampa, Winnetka and De Soto avenues will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday to 11 a.m. Saturday and from 9 p.m. Saturday to 11 a.m. Sunday.

The westbound lane closings will continue until the end of July, Kermode said.

The closings are part of a 16-month widening of the freeway from six to eight lanes between Topanga Canyon and Valley Circle boulevards.

The project, which began in February, also includes adding a fifth westbound lane between White Oak and Topanga and resurfacing several areas of broken pavement.

Caltrans officials said the lanes must be closed weekend mornings to allow sufficient drying time for specially reinforced concrete slabs on either side of freeway overpasses.